Democrats hope a dispute over cars most people could never afford will drive voters their way in the 22nd District state Senate race.

Incumbent Sen. Joe Hune, R-Hamburg Township, has come under fire from his Democratic challenger in the Nov. 4 election for supporting, and amending, a bill that would affect Tesla, an electric car manufacturer whose vehicles occupy the $75,000-to-$100,000-plus price range.

In its initial House version, the bill restricted automakers' ability to force dealers to charge different documentation fees to select customers.

A slight amendment, made to the Senate version, would effectively prevent Tesla from selling vehicles through its own stores, rather than an established dealer network.

The issue could have passed unnoticed expect that Tesla's company blog site last week blasted the bill as a "raw deal" for Michigan consumers.

The bill, H.B. 5606, drew support from the Michigan Auto Dealers Association, a trade group representing dealers' interests.

Noting that Hune's wife, Marcia, works for a lobbying firm, Democratic challenger Shari Pollesch has charged the senator with appealing to special interests.

"He supports a bill that prevents school board members here in Howell from voting on a teachers' contract because they have a relative who is a teacher, yet he has never excused himself from voting on a bill because his wife is a lobbyist."

Howell Public Schools Board of Education members Mike and Kim Witt, a married couple, last year were prevented from voting on a teachers' contract because Mrs. Witt's sister was employed by the district.

"People want to know if their legislators are working for their interests or special interests," Pollesch said.

Hune, in a statement, said Pollesch and her supporters were dragging his family through the mud for purely political reasons.

"She points to an amendment on a recent bill that I offered that pertains to automobile regulations in Michigan," Hune said.

"The existing law, which has been on the books for over 30 years, says that all car manufacturers must be on an equal regulatory system, and my amendment simply clarified that all companies would be treated the same as everyone else."

Terry Burns, executive vice president of the dealers' association, called the legislation fair and reasonable.

"There's no creation of new rules," Burns said.

"If a manufacturer wants to come in and sell cars in the state of Michigan, they should probably follow Michigan law," Burns added.

Burns also said relationships like those of the Hunes' "are not uncommon in Lansing."

But Todd Maron, Tesla's general counsel, said the Michigan bill doesn't just require sales through franchised dealers; it would also prohibit company representatives from merely displaying cars and discussing them with consumers.

"People don't introduce bills unless they intend to change the law," Maron said. "Secondly, people don't sneak language in at the last minute unless they know it will be consequential."

Hune, however, said nothing involving the bill or his amendment was done in secret.

"The amendment I proposed was put forth in a public forum and was voted on twice by lawmakers in both chambers of the Legislature," he said. "Nothing was hidden."

Based in Palo Alto, California, Tesla is perhaps best known for its CEO, entrepreneur Elon Musk, and its celebrity clientele.

Seeking to create a new business model, Musk wants his company to sell high-price, low-volume cars through company-owned stores and has been fighting a legislative battle on a state-by-state basis to do so.

Most states, like Michigan, generally prevent auto companies from competing directly with auto dealers that way.

Legislators in Texas, Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina and Virginia have prevented Tesla from conducting direct sales in their states. But Tesla has won court cases and opened stores in Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York.

Gov. Rick Snyder, has until today to sign the bill, including Hune's amendment, into law.